


the winter succumbs to the spring

by kiwinatorwaffles



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Injury, Game: Cookie Run: Ovenbreak, Gen, Major Character Injury, Minor Violence, Not a ship, i may have angsted a child oops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29047071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwinatorwaffles/pseuds/kiwinatorwaffles
Summary: though starting off rocky, milk and yam slowly learn to become friends through the course of their adventure together.
Relationships: Milk Cookie & Purple Yam Cookie (Cookie Run), milk cookie & dark choco cookie (cookie run)
Kudos: 11





	1. a team of two

**Author's Note:**

> in my au milk is a child so no this is not a ship fic!
> 
> also slow updates; i pretty much just write this whenever i feel like it

Yam has never expected to ever grow on this kid.

Milky white curly hair, always fluffed up and clean. It smells like a fresh bottle of plain yogurt straight from the fridge, maintaining its cleanliness despite all the trouble and situations he gets into. Somehow, not a single speck of dirt ever lands on that seemingly perfect head.

And those eyes- pure and almost calming, even. Though his white eyes strike as vacant at first glance, they never lack empathy or warmth like Yam expected first. Instead, every time the boy looks to meet his glare, those eyes shine with some sort of a naive confidence- one that anyone would want to protect.

If only the kid wasn't so damn annoying. Milk, despite the best of his intentions, always has a way to grate on Yam's nerves- usually and if not always unintentionally- but that only makes it more irritating. 

"How old even are you, shrimp?" Yam once asks as the two lay by the camp, basking in the firelight. A blanket of darkness wraps around the sky with speckles of stars glistening through the cover. "You're pretty small for a 'warrior.'"

Frowning, Milk shifts his head sideways to meet Yam's eyes. Those damned eyes, again- full of hope and expectations for the future.

His mouth opens to speak in a voice of an adolescent boy. "I'm fourteen! It's young, but I'm good with a shield! You've seen me- you should know~"

A teasing smugness laces Milk's voice- one any teen like him would have. It prods at Yam's temper as his teeth clench together, sneering at the boy. _How annoying._

"Old enough to have your dreams crushed, then," Yam scoffs in return, turning his head away from Milk. "Can't wait to see the look on your face when you lose for the first time."

"Hey- rude!" Milk promptly sits up in his spot, arm propped on the ground. "I won't lose- I'll always fulfill my duty to protect!"

Sure. That's what he thought as well during his days at the arena, before that bastard Dark Choco completely demolished him. Milk's innocence almost makes Yam laugh in his spot. _Whatever. This kid is gonna get it someday, at the rate he's going_ , he thinks.

Except he doesn't. Every time Milk fights an upcoming obstacle, his shield charges and as hard as diamond. Not a single enemy can penetrate his defenses, leaving both of them protected before Yam leaps out and finishes them off with his own mace. In a way, they make a pretty great team. But Yam will never admit that- not in a million years. Admitting that working with a child isn't so bad would be like saying he's equal to this kid- and he doesn't want that further tarnishing his pride.

Yet, with every demonstration, Yam only grows more impressed of Milk's skills. Someone of his age- being able to withstand such high velocity attacks and even heal himself afterwards. Sometimes, Milk would even heal Yam if he takes any damage.

The annoyance towards the newbie slowly fades away into some sort of admiration- for being so strong at a young age, both mentally and physically. Unsurprisingly, a couple days in, and Yam discovers a respect for Milk. Not enough to put his own ego aside and say anything- but a silent sort of approval. _You're good, kid._

"Why are you trying to find Dark Choco so badly?" Milk once asks as they traveled through the forest, staff held up like a lantern. The cool glow casts over their path, just enough for the two to see in the dark night.

"Didn't I already tell you?" Yam rolls his eyes, annoyed as always. "I want to get back at him!"

"But for what?" That same voice drones on, asking the same things. All the time. _Same shit, different day._

"Because he destroyed my pride, okay?" Yam sneers, swinging his mace around to clear out the bushes. With every swing, it only grows stronger and more unruly to the point where leaves fly out like puffs of snow in a storm.

"How?" The question is so innocent, but it boils at Yam's insides. It doesn't help that Milk's voice drops just the slightest. "Dark Choco is a good man..."

"Good man, sure!" The words spit out of Yam's mouth like fireballs out of a volcano. "I was the winning champion until that stupid prince waltzed in and stole my streak!"

"But- what does that to do with being his fault?" Milk asks, clearly unfazed by (or maybe, accustomed to) Yam's temper. Is it bravery- or plain stupidity? The lines are blurred. "He just fought and all..."

_This dumb kid-_

"You don't get anything about pride, shrimp!" Yam hisses, yanking aside a bundle of vines. "You wouldn't understand how it feels like to lose the only thing you're good at- beaten by some rando you've never known about! You don't get how humiliating it is after all that effort and dedication you put in-"

Yam's rant is interrupted when his boot lands on a squishy bump on the ground. It jolts and he pulls back, but it's too late. A massive, blue form bursts from the ground, knocking both men backwards.

"A Jelly Bug!" Milk makes a grab for his shield and raises it before him. "What are they doing in this forest?!"

"It's where they hide out in the night, dipshit!" Yam growls, clutching at his own weapon. Normally, a Jelly Bug is easy to take on- as the two always strike from the back when it is least suspecting. However, now, they're forced to face an agitated Jelly Bug head on without any form of advantage. "Prepare yourself, kid!"

The bug strikes the first move, head charging for the spot where Yam stands. Though he leaps away, the bug's incredible and sudden burst of speed catches Yam's leg in the end as the force sends him skidding aside. Even still, before he falls completely, he swings his mace into the side of that bug's head, taking out a good-sized chunk.

As Yam barrels towards a rock, Milk charges into the side of the bug with his shield and rams into its shell. Yam, immobilized on the ground, can only watch Milk fight against the bug in some sort of awe.

The boy pulls vines from the bushes and hops from point to point, making quick work of the bug. Every time the bug strikes towards him, he only blocks it with that indestructible shield of his.

Finally, in the end, the Jelly Bug collapses to the ground, restricted by binds. With a satisfied, beaming grin, Milk dusts off his hat and places it back on his perfectly undamaged hair. _A natural_ , Yam knows. As Milk rushes over to Yam, he crouches down and clutches his staff to his chest.

"Are you okay?" His worried eyes fill Yam with some sense of relief. He lets his tense muscles relax, and though being tossed around definitely hurts, but knowing that there's at least a healer on his side is relieving.

"It's just my leg," Yam replies, stretching out his leg, splattered with strawberry jam.

"Maybe you should have checked where you were stepping..." Milk's healing energy glows at his staff, positioning over the wound on Yam's leg. Within half a minute, the wound closes up entirely.

Yam glances at Milk's face. Eyebrows scrunched in determination and concentration, yet without a single speck of dirt on his cheeks or clothes.

"Hey, kid?"

"Yes—?"

"Thanks for healing me."

"Oh-?" A wide grin spreads onto Milk's cheeks. "Well- It's my pleasure!" Then, it softens a little. "We'd... make a pretty good team, don't we?"

Maybe they do. Maybe they really manage to help each other out, even with all of their tension and arguments. Hit, block, heal, repeat.

Yam still won't admit it. Not yet, anyway.

Instead, he only masks on a scowl and mutters in a gruff voice, "We'll see about that."


	2. my hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, kid, do your parents know you're out here running around?" Yam asks, opening one eye.
> 
> Milk tenses up, his grip tightening around his pencil. _Parents_. How will he answer this without sounding suspicious?
> 
> "Uh... well... I'm allowed to go wherever I want..."
> 
> "Sheesh!" Yam scoffs, closing his eye once more. "Do parents really just let their kids do that these days?"
> 
> An opening to direct the conversation- Milk grabs it by the reins. "Well, did yours allow you to?"
> 
> "Didn't have any! I was baked on my own!"
> 
> "Ah... I see."

As screams ring out from inside the village, a blazing red flares out like a hot flame.

Pagusdairy. A relatively small magical town, populated by Cookies of all sorts. Filled with powers of healers and support magic users, the village has always been a place of respite and a place to stop and breathe It has been his home for the entirety of his short life, and in no way has he expected this to happen.

And now, this said home is under attack by the high priestess of Darkness.

His curly, white hair bounces and obscures his vision as he charges across the roads, stumbling every so often over unidentified pieces of dough. The hand gripping his palm only squeezes tighter.

"Mom-" Now, the grip almost hurts, accompanied with the rough rocks below his feet. "How long do we have to keep running?!"

"Not much longer," his mother responds, though her waving voice suggests that maybe she doesn't quite know. Still, he recognizes the situation and keeps running.

Around them, other Cookies fall and crumble to the ground, but his mother blocks the view with her hand. Even with her protection, he can see the blank, petrified faces on the fallen Cookies from the corner of his eye, and their agonized screams still pierce through the air. It doesn't help in the slightest that he nearly slips on a sticky substance.

To his horror, the scream now sounds from right beside him as his mother's hand is torn away from his.

" _Mom!_ " He whirls around, only to find a giant, purplish form, dripping with bright pink jelly, holding his mother high.

His mother squeaks with the fist tightening, crushing her further with every second. Cracks form in her body and face as the monster's grip closes in, her jelly beginning to seep out of the openings.

"Go!" she pleads, turning her head back towards him, the side of her mouth breaking open in a crack. " _Get out!"_

But moving may prove to be harder than told. His mother's final words crackle through the air like a flash of lightning, but his legs only stay frozen- glued to the ground, like a quicksand trap of sticky caramel tugging him in.

The beast opens its mouth to roar, its glowing, bright yellow eyes flashing with blind rage.

He catches one last glance at his mother's eyes, pried wide open with terror, before-

_CRACK!_

Shattered pieces shoot out from inside the monster's fists, jam spurting and splattering onto the ground. His eyes widen in an amalgamation of shock and horror- now, the previously prominent pounding in his head comes to a full stop, leaving him with a deafening silence.

His mother.

Crushed. _Killed_. Right in front of his eyes.

Something wells up inside of him as his eyes stay fixated on the vicious beast, yet his legs still stay frozen. He can't even fulfill her last wish.

Opening its palm, the monster reveals a hovering heart-shaped item. Just when he thinks it can't get worse, it opens its mouth, bringing its teeth down right down on the object, and a shattering noise accompanies the streaks of light bursting out from the now broken item.

_Mom's Soul Jam has been shattered._

And there his own cowardly self is, able to do nothing as he watches his own mother being murdered right in front of his eyes.

He gasps, clamping his hand over his mouth to suppress to choke out or scream or cry, but the monster snaps its head towards his direction. With a hiss, it stomps forward, its looming shadow slowly covering his body as it raises its fist.

He's going to die here. He's bound to meet the same fate as his mother, no doubt about it. Squeezing his eyes shut, he braces for impact-

_"Stay back!"_

With a flash of white clothing, a slashing noise sounds, and a sword slices the monster in half. The thud of boots sound as the mysterious warrior lands on the ground beside the now fallen creature, causing his head to turn towards the stranger.

A head of long, dark, flowing hair, clothed with a crisp, white cape. Turning to face him, the stranger reveals a face with sharp, red eyes and a confident smile.

Walking to him and kneeling down, the swordsman asks, "Are you alright?"

Still shaken from the earlier events, he can only manage to nod slightly as he wipes the tears off his face.

Holding out their hand, the stranger smiles warmly. "My name is Prince Dark Choco Cookie. Let's get you to safety."

He stares at Dark Choco for a second before grabbing the Cookie's hand and pulling himself up. With shaking legs, he steps forward, following Dark Choco's steps.

Even still, he can't help but to glance back at the puddle of bright red jam pooled on the ground behind him.

Maybe, if he had been faster, that puddle wouldn't be here right now.

Something inside of him still wavers like a flimsy stick, but looking back up at Dark Choco's determined face relieves the unknown tension within his chest. Someone like Dark Choco... someone who saves others from the kindness of their hearts. Someone who can make sure no other children will be endangered like he was ever again. That's who he wants to become.

_Mom... I promise I'll be better and learn how to heal like you and Dad did._

***

_Five years._

A soft, glowing warmth emits from the crackling bonfire as the flickering shadows of two figures flash across the tent. Milk places his bowl by the fire and shuffles in closer towards the warmth while Purple Yam bandages his leg, complaining about Dinosour's loud snoring and complaining about their encounter with monsters and basically complaining about everything there is to complain about.

"Can this guy get _ANY LOUDER?_ " Yam hisses, baring his teeth at the sleeping Cookie behind him. "It's driving me CRAZY!"

"But when you sleep, you won't hear him!" Milk reasons cheerfully, removing his hat and placing it beside him. "You can also move inside if you think it's too loud!"

"I don't _want_ to sleep inside, squirt!" Yam huffs, tearing the bandage and chucking it towards the side. "I'd rather have him shut up!"

Giggling at Yam's agitation, Milk only grins as he pulls out a small notebook and jots down a couple sentences in them. Meanwhile, Yam leans back into the tree trunk with his eyes closed and lifts his arms over his head.

A minute or so passes by- Dino's snoring dies down just the slightest, leaving the two only with the company of each other and the fire's soft crackling.

Unfortunately, Yam is quite infamous for being loud.

"So, kid, do your parents know you're out here running around?" Yam asks, opening one eye.

Milk tenses up, his grip tightening around his pencil. _Parents_. How will he answer this without sounding suspicious?

"Uh... well... I'm allowed to go wherever I want..."

"Sheesh!" Yam scoffs, closing his eye once more. "Do parents really just let their kids do that these days?"

An opening to direct the conversation- Milk grabs it by the reins. "Well, did yours allow you to?"

"Didn't have any! I was baked on my own!"

"Ah... I see."

Yam now shifts in his position, lowering his arms from the back of his head and instead kicking one leg over the other. Something flashes over his face. Is it anger? No, something more specific. Concern...? "Still, what the hell are we going to do if you come back all broken and in pieces?! Are you even supposed to be here?"

_That's oddly caring of him to say. Where's the usual grump?_

Yam's famous scowl returns as he continues the thought. "I don't want to be responsible for your mess!"

_Oh. There it is._

"I don't think you need to worry about them..." Milk remarks, setting down the pen. "They're... not around, anyway."

Letting out a coarse hmph, Yam rolls his eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever! Just don't expect me to take responsibility if you get hurt. And if they get mad, it's not on my accord, got it?"

"Yeah..." Milk stares at his unfinished bowl of jelly stew. His previously hungry self has somehow vanished, leaving behind a gaping hole in his stomach and chest. "Got it."

Of course, Yam doesn't want to deal with him. Nobody wants to deal with a mere child, anyway. Nobody... except for Dark Choco.

Sighing, Milk shuffles onto his sleeping bag, balling his legs up to his chest.

It'll be a long journey, but he'll get there eventually, right? Dark Choco has to be somewhere near... he can feel it. If he sees his hero again, maybe he'll be able to help as well?

Glancing up, he spots Yam with both his eyes closed and letting out rhythmic breaths into the air. Finally, some peace.

He picks up his pen again, and writes down one last bit before closing his diary.

_Dark Choco sure is a better role model than Yam, but I've learned lots from Yam as well. Both of them are strong! I hope I can be as strong as them one day!_

_But... will they think I'm strong? Even with my childhood? I don't think I'll tell Yam. Knowing him, he'll just tell me I just need to suck it up. And maybe I do! I just don't know if I want to hear it from him._

Tucking the book back into his bag, Milk pulls the blanket over himself.

"Good night, Yam!"

And another night goes by, leading them all a step closer to their goal.


End file.
